1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pillows and, more particularly, to a pillow structure capable of transformation between a plurality of different design configurations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide a manipulative pillow arrangement including an elongated, thin pillow divided into a plurality of sections which may be folded relative to one another so as to form a generally circular pillow of a decorative design and geometry. Such a pillow arrangement is illustrated e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,529, issued on Jul. 13, 1976 to Levin et al. The sections of the pillow arrangement disclosed in that patent can be of different designs or colors so that when the pillow is manipulated, the patterns on the arrangement and thus the overall decorative effect is changed while the geometry of the pillow before and after the manipulation is unchanged.
In such arrangements where the entire pillow is of a geometry different from the final arrangement geometry, it is necessary to compress, stretch, manipulate and fold the pillow body in order to form the pillow into the desired arrangement. As a result, the stuffing of the pillow frequently either becomes compressed so as to be less useful as a cushion or becomes lost or removed from the casing of the arrangement. Thus, the life of such a pillow is shorter than desired since the entire pillow body must be disturbed in order to change the outer design.
It is also known to employ removable pillow casings which may be provided with multiple, reversible, colored panels permitting the casing to be removed and reversed to present a new casing color or design without the need for a separate casing. As with the above-discussed arrangement, reversible pillow casings permit several different designs to be possible in a single arrangement. However, a problem with known removable casings may exist in that the casings, which are easily removable, may also be easily lost. Since it is frequently necessary to remove the casing from the pillow body every time it is desired to change the design, the pillow and the casing can be separated from one another and one of the elements can be lost. In addition, the pillow body may also frequently become dirty and begin to lose its stuffing since it is sometimes handled without a casing.
It is desirable to provide a pillow having the benefits of multiple design possibilities in a single arrangement as exists in the prior art but with the additional benefits of a structure which is durable and which can be frequently manipulated without the need for disassembly of the arrangement or for manipulation of the pillow body itself.